In the last few of weeks, there have been a couple of posts over at New World Notes about various social media networks and the writer’s opinion on their usefulness for Second Life users.
As a blogger, I am always looking for ways to make connections – with other bloggers, readers, SLers, etc.
A great way to do that is social media.
However, there are sooo many platforms and only 24 hours in a day (and I reserve some of those hours for sleep and RL!), so how do you decide which ones to use?
Also, how can you get the most out of the time you do spend on each network?
Rather than covering all the networks mentioned in the NWN articles, I’m going to stick to the ones I use or have questions about (hey, this is about me, right?).
I would love to streamline my process, so I’m asking all you brilliant people for your tips and tricks on the various platforms.
WordPress
(Okay, this isn’t really a social network, but I still have questions. 😛 )
Obviously, I use WordPress to blog.
However, a TON of people use Blogger.
Is there an easy way (or any way) to ‘like’ a Blogger post?
On WordPress blogs, I can hit a ‘like’ button or leave a comment very easily.
I haven’t found a way to ‘like’ Blogger posts.
Also, with Blogger posts, I have to pick a ‘profile’ to use for a comment and 9 times out of 10, when I hit ‘publish,’ Blogger eats my comment. -.-
I use Twitter, but I’m not sure that it’s all that useful for networking in SL.
I follow quite a few people, but most tweets tend to be people tweeting their blog posts or pics.
Is there a way to streamline/pick SL content for my Twitter feed?
I have tried using TweetDeck, but I usually am on a mobile device when I’m on Twitter, so is there a way to use TweetDeck on mobile?
Are there ‘must-follow’ people on Twitter?
What hashtags do most SLers use when tweeting about SL?
Flickr
I finally caved several months ago and got a Flickr account, and I must say, I love it.
I love taking photos and playing around in Photoshop, and I’m having a ton of fun.
However, the Flickr UI (which apparently is constantly changing), is not user-friendly at all.
I have joined groups and followed others, but is there a way to easily view recent group photos besides clicking through to each group’s postings?
A group photostream, like the one I get for people I follow on Flickr?
I’ve tried adding an RSS feed to my feed reader (Feedly), but it doesn’t work. 😦
Are there tags I should be using (for my own photos and for searching) other than ‘Second Life’ or ‘SL’?
Avatar Social Network (ASN)
I signed up for ASN because I loathe Facebook.
I know I can have a Facebook Page as my avatar, but I don’t like the constantly changing privacy policies at Facebook.
Plus, a Page just doesn’t give you the tools that a profile does, so it doesn’t foster the same networking ability.
I like ASN.
It’s easy to use (it’s set up in many ways like Facebook with ‘likes,’ ‘groups,’ ‘pages,’ etc.) and there is a large friendly community.
ASN serves other virtual worlds besides SL, but there are plenty of active SLers on ASN.
However, I feel like I could be getting more out of ASN.
Are there people I should be following on ASN?
Any input about ASN is appreciated. 🙂
Google+
I am on Google because I have Gmail.
I do not have a Google+ page – should I?
People can follow my profile on Google – is it necessary to also have a page?
I like Google – I think the tools are more intuitive to use than most other platforms.
But like ASN, I often feel I could/should be getting more out of the time I spend there.
Other Platforms
I am on Ello, but when I first joined, it was not very populated.
I haven’t been back in a while – is the SL community there growing?
Or was it just the latest new shiny alternative to Facebook?
What about SLUniverse and the forums?
Are there other platforms that are helpful for networking with other SLers?
Enlighten me, people!!!
A Kat and A Mouse 
“Enlighten me, people!!!”
^ Wish I could, Kat! But I have many of the same questions you do, so I’ll be watching this space eagerly. 🙂
Really am enjoying Twitter for the semi real-time conversation that happens. Google+ just strikes me as similar to Facebook, which in turn is probably similar to ASN. And you’re right about Blogger, it eats comments like crazy and really seems to hate when you try to use a WordPress account to interface. Also difficult to get notifications of follow-up comments. If only the two would place nicely together!
Have you given any thought to Plurk?
I have considered Plurk, but from what little I’ve seen, it seems not very new user friendly, and lots of drama.
It’s hard to know where to be and where to draw the line. I could join a ton of platforms, but how engaged can you be when you’re in 25 places?
I find Flickr very VERY! “You star my pic, I will star yours too,” Squeaaaaaaalll! 😉 I actually very religiously did that for two years.(2009-2010) But it was exhausting and at the end of the day, did they like my pic bc they like my pic or just like it bc I liked theirs? Bc my goal isn’t a like on Flickr but a view of my blog. I DO post my pics in a couple Flickr groups (the designers i am wearing) and active groups who boost it on their blog very nicely, Second Social comes to mind, but for the most part in general I think people just do the you like me and I like you too thing.. Today it’s my least “worked on” vehicle. My fb people really give me traffic (as in click thru FB to my blog itself) and my twitter gets boosted as well, soneone grabs it and posts it on their account as well, but like you I use word press so it is all seamless, every time I post a blog it updates my Facebook, LinkedIn, google+, and Twitter so it’s not like I am actively killing time posting everywhere. I think in the end it’s do you enjoy blogging just bc or do you need views to stay motivated? I don’t know that answer, even for myself, I just know that for a couple years now, as you might know, I have been in RL more than in SL so i figure when I am done, I will just be done and go away. Any way, hope this helps and loved your post! 🙂 ♡
I do have my blog set up to post automatically to Twitter and Google, which does save time. However, I am in search of a way to include the pics in my posts in my automatic tweets, which isn’t currently happening.
I don’t want to spend a ton of time on social media either, but I do feel like I need to know more about it, so I can take advantage of the shortcuts/timesavers!
So far, Flickr for me is more about looking at other people’s work and getting inspired. I don’t want it to become a tit-for-tat thing, but I am making an effort to ‘favorite’ pics that I really do like. For myself, I’m just trying to get better at taking photos!
It could also be that I am searching for other options because I don’t use Facebook. 😛 I’m not after views in order to stay motivated; I blog because I like to write. 😀
You are very, VERY like me then. I’ve been quiet lately bc my RL has been so busy but if you look back a year or so, and so, and so.. words WERE my blog. In fact, me and my besty Draakje Daily and to any one who asked, I was a blogger with a picture problem and it was the most fulfilling time for me actually. She used to say I was full of Word and Peace.. I can’t count the number of times someone commented what you said struck me and was just what I needed to hear, or what you wrote really uplifted me ( so many comments were in world too, IM’s from strangers). I’d probably just go real world, but to be honest, I love SL fashion too, I dig the creativity, I adore I can buy outfits I can’t in RL so for right now, here I am. And I love the inhabitants of our microcosm. I am happy I found your blog though, it’s a spot I like to set a spell and enjoy the topics. 🙂
Your blog is wonderful too, Caoimhe! And really appreciate your thoughts on Flickr, especially that you’re a really seasoned user who’s familiar with the interface and how it all works there. And you’re right, trying to be exhaustive with following all the groups, favoriting + commenting on photos, it could be a full-time job if you let it!
Are you using a Page or a regular Profile on Facebook? I’d really like to set up the latter, I’m just concerned about the “real names” thing. It seems like a lot of people are able to use FB effectively via their avatar names though. It sounds like there’s some great discussion and connections happening in the SL-related groups there too, which is a shame to miss out on. Would love to hear your thoughts on it!
*looks behind her and whispers* I have both a page and profile but rarely even update my page anymore. I don’t find it interactive enough. I use my avi name so far, I know a lot of people get booted, usually when they make someone “angry” and are reported as a fake, so I walk as quietly as possible in regards to others feelings. *knocks on wood* It’s kind of silly honestly since you can snap a picture in world and simultaneously post it on FB. Do they want us there or not? But I always hope FB will eventually slacken this, for now it’s still just a crap shoot.
During my brief stint on FB, I found it confusing, because some friends were using avatar names, but then many changed names to try and avoid the removals. So I ended up with people that I couldn’t keep straight, because the names on FB weren’t their avi names (or even their RL names – just names made to sound real 😛 ).
I agree, FB is kind of a crap shoot. You’d think with the ability to snap in-world pics and post to FB that FB would be more accepting of avatar profiles. However, avatar profiles affect their revenue, hence the periodic removal sweeps. I’ve considered a page as well, but a page just doesn’t have the functionality of a profile, which you really need to use FB as intended.
So far, I’m pretty happy with ASN as an alternative, though of course, it doesn’t have FB’s numbers. (I did have a profile on FB, but it wouldn’t accept ‘Feldragonne’ as a valid last name, so sometimes it has more to do with their algorithms than trolls if you get deleted, I think.)
I’m not as much into SL fashion as I am into performing, so I tend to run towards ‘costumes’ rather than ‘haute couture.’ But like you, I dig the way I can dress and be things that I can’t/wouldn’t in RL. I’ve actually had a couple of RL blogs, but for now, I’m happy to just focus on this one. 🙂
@ Caoimhe – TOTALLY agree with you about the weird dichotomy between SL giving us a super easy way of sharing pics on Facebook … and Facebook not wanting us to be there. 😛
I think I’ll give it a go sometime; you’re right that it would be super confusing to keep RL names straight with SL names. I understand that they’re trying to crack down on people making fake profiles a la “Catfish” or the like, but SL folks are anything but fake. A pseudonym or alternate name choice shouldn’t be grounds for dismissal!
@ Kat – That’s a really, really good point about avatars affecting the FB revenue model. I had never considered that. Too bad they gave you trouble about your last name! I mean, anyone can go to their local city hall and change their name to something of their choosing, so arbitrarily deciding that certain names are “real” and others are “fake” is problematic no matter how you slice it. Silly Facebook!
Really gotta take the time to check out ASN. I see they have a Twitter presence too, which is cool. I like that people are multi-connected these days! More opportunities for chat and making new friends can never be a bad thing. 🙂
I personally don’t care what people want to call themselves. If you want your name to be ‘Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock’ or whatever, go for it! But if I know you as ‘Jane Smith’ and on FB you’re ‘Tony James,’ it gets confusing.
ASN also has a mobile app, which I just installed on my phone a couple of days ago. That way I can use it more like FB, and post, play games, whatever, when I have a few minutes free here and there. 🙂